Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026: Lois' obituary, trip to town-power washer, Wlmrt, H.D., Taco Bell, Kat & Larry, "A Proper Charade", Kim speaking in Church, cat status, new YW names

Monticello, Utah

Temple #53

Lois' obituary was posted on the Bueler Mortuary website.

We continue to be grateful to Cathi, Terry, Dave & Laura for all that they are doing.

James and I made an early trip to town today hoping to get back by 10:30 when Kat & Larry, some workers her hired, are coming to help sand and stain the logs. 

Our first stop was at Harbor Freight where James bought a new power sprayer. It cost right at $500. We have been wanting one for a long time. James dropped me off at Walmart while he went to Home Depot to get some plywood to replace the plywood on top of the scaffolding which is old and worn. 

I picked up a few groceries and my folic acid prescription. My "few groceries" amounted to around $200. I'm living the dream.

On the way home we stopped at Taco Bell for a chicken cantina soft taco something I normally like as does James. These had way too much sauce which really overpowered the flavor of the chicken. 

 Kat and Larry showed up a few minutes after we got home. They only work together. Each one of them charges $20 an hour and they work for five hours, which means they make $400 a day. They look like they have been down on their luck and their car is old and junky.

They don't have a bank account set up yet. They just moved here from Indiana and bought some cheap land in Concho. They love it here  because they said the humidity is so high in Indiana it was difficult for them to breathe. I only met Kat. She was very friendly and she said they have a whole list of household chores they do, including windows. 

I started a new book today: "A Proper Charade" by Esther Hatch. James is reading it too. He also worked in the yard today trying to rake up pine needles and pine cones. It is rather difficult because of the wind. 

Kim is speaking in church on Sunday. I wish we could be there but we both teach up here on Sunday.

"Peacemaking still begins in the most basic place - in our hearts."

- Elder Gary E. Stevenson

Exodus 24:10

And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

Our dearly deceased friends,

Jean & Tom Howard

Dennis & Denise 

Doing one of the things they love to do,

hike!

 

Tuesday, April 21st, 2026: Exodus 20 The Ten Commandments, Vaughn J. Featherstone quote about temples, change in ministering assignment, miss temple with RS sisters, James has a couple coming to work tomorrow, KIm's temple visit,

 

Preston, England

Temple #52

I read Exodus 20 this morning where Moses receives the Ten Commandments from the Lord. The children of Israel refuse to see God. They receive a cursing of a carnal law. 

Tom Peralta told James about a couple from Concho who just moved here from Michigan that are looking for work. It is a man and a woman that work together. They work five hours a day and get 10 hours. James has them coming over tomorrow. I told him he can't do all of this upkeep himself so I am grateful they are coming. 

I missed going to the temple today with the RS sisters from our ward. Janna, my friend, and a counselor in the RS, called me on her way to the temple. She said that Kathy Crane and I have a new sister to minister to. It is Cheryl Sedig. We will no longer be visiting Cindy Brown which is a little said because we were just getting to know her. Cheryl is the RS president.

Kim texted me and said she saw Al Fox Carraway and Paul's sister Nicole at the Gilbert temple today. How exciting!

This is a quote by Vaughn J. Featherstone that I shared with the kids on Sunday:

"A desire to truly return to God is accompanied by the determination to be completely honest with your Heavenly Father."

- Elder Neil L. Andersen

Exodus 24:3

And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do.

Handout from Sunday's meetings in the

Tumbleweed Park ward

Andy baptized LaNell

Alice & "Nellie"

My handouts

Monday, April 20th, 2026: Lois passed away early this morning, I am so tired & slow, 2 blogposts, 16,000 steps, 40 cups for handouts, chuck steak, James works on logs, rain clouds but no rain, Hope Valley 1874, "Refining the Debutante" New "CFM"

 

Vernal, Utah

Temple #51

I got a text from Sheri this morning around 4 am. She had seen Dave and he told her that Grandmother had passed away. The hospice nurse was right. She lived about 72 more hours as she predicted.

The title for this week's "Come Follow Me" lesson is: "All That the Lord Hath Spoken We Will Do." Exodus 19-20; 24; 31-34.

In the Book of Mormon we are reading about Abinadi.

Lois' funeral will be on May 2nd @ 10 a.m. at the Pleasant Building at 800 West Chandler Heights Rd.

Although I was slow and tired today I managed to accomplish the following goals: two blog posts, 16,000 and I glued 40 Hershey kisses in my mini tea cups for my RS handouts.

Gabe Peralta came by for a check today. He got a job working at The House restaurant so he won't be working for us anymore. James and I were both surprised when he said he worked on Sunday. I was quite upset. Also, James thought he fudged a little on his hours and he re-sanded a log that James had already done. 

Jared Ammon left a couple of chuck steaks when he was here last week. I cooked one today and was quite surprised when it was quite tender and tasty. I shared the steak with James. 

James worked on the logs again today. The sky was overcast and it was suppose to rain, but it never did. 

I tried to finish signing up for Acorns, the financial app Stacy wanted me to use but I'm not sure that I was successful. 

I watched the latest episode of "Hope Valley 1874". I am really liking this series as well as I like "When Calls the Heart."

I finished my book, "The Dowry of Lady Eliza" and started reading "Refining the Debutante".

"The principle of counting and accounting works. It is the Lord's way." 

- Elder William K. Jackson

Exodus 19:5

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Sunday, April 19th, 2026: Text from Sheri, Tumbleweed Park ward w/ S&P, B&K, lunch, visit w/ K&B, goodbye to Mom for the last time, home through Payson, starving kitties, Acorns financial app

 

St. Louis, Missouri

Temple #50

We had planned on attending stake conference with Sheri today but she texted and said she wasn't feeling well and wasn't going to go.  Instead we went to church with Stacy and Paul which is also Kim and Brian's ward, the Tumbleweed Park ward. 

The Tumbleweed Park ward's sacrament meeting was all focused on the Resurrection. It was a great meeting. Old friends, Beverly Parris and Mitch and Louise Jones. 

After Sunday School we went back to Stacy & Paul's for some lunch and then on to Kim & Brian's. We met Bella their new cat, who is very beautiful by the way,  and got to visit with Joe a little bit. My main purpose for coming to talk to Kim & Brian was to see if they were still planning on coming up to live at the cabin this winter. Brian said in order for them to do that he would need to be able to work totally online in a higher position than he now has. He gave me hope when he said, "We will make it happen."

Kim gave us candy and chocolate chip cookies before we left. Our last stop was at Cathi & Terry's. James wanted to see his mother one more time. He held her hand and talked to her while I talked to Laura and she told me about the difficult night they had with Mom. They ended up calling the hospice nurse and she put a catheter in so Mom would stay dry.

As we left I took Mom's hand, told her I loved her, and gave her a kiss. 

James knows I don't like to go through Salt River Canyon so he went home the Payson way. We listened to this next week's "Follow Him" on the way home. 

When we arrived home it seems as if the kitties were starving and Tom was so happy to see us. I had to sit with him for awhile. 

As we came passed the church on the way home we noticed the parking lot was full of cars. I told him it was probably LaNell Wilhelm's baptism. I was right.

Sheri & Ian's 30th Anniversary

Happy Anniversary!

Saturday, April 18th, 2026: Exodus 17:15, Gabe Peralta helpin James, we leave for the valley @ noon, cats have food until tomorrow evening, Easton feeding the horses, Costco, Lois, D&T, Sheri's, Walmart, S&P's NIck Shirley,

 

Timpanogos, Utah

Temple #49

In Exodus 17:15 the word Jehovah-nissi means "the Lord is my banner." The victory is always the Lord's. Their dependence, Israel's, is always upon him.

I thought my cats were gone when I looked outside and couldn't see any of them. I felt guilty because I kept thinking they were a hindrance if we wanted to move. Thank goodness they are still here.

Gabe Peralta is helping James sand the logs this morning. I worked on my blog this morning until it was time to get ready to leave for the valley. We left at noon to go see James's mom. Gabe was still working as we left. I gave the cats enough food and water to last them until tomorrow evening. James got East Crane to feed the horses.

We went the Payson way and listened to Elaine Dalton on "Follow Him." She talked about what we feel when we study, what we are learning, and what we are going to do differently in our lives. She also talked about developing holy habits and righteous routines.

I love Sister Dalton.

We stopped at the Costco on Baseline & Arizona Avenue. Gas was $3.54 a gallon but the line is so long it would probably take over an hour to get gas so we declined.

There was no Perk left and no individual meals like I saw on an ad on my phone. We got a case of Fairlife shakes and left, headed for Cathi & Terry's. 

Cathi & Terry's was very quiet. Dave & Laura were on duty as Cathi & Terry were gone doing errands. Mom's bed was in the middle of the family room and she was asleep on it. She looked drawn and so different from the last time we saw her. She had a couple of small bandages on the gash over her right eyebrow. I held her hand for a minute and spoke to her and then moved so James could take her hand and talk to her. He stayed by her for awhile. I could tell how sad he was.

Stacy, Paul, Adam, Dallin, and Joshua came by this morning and Stacy said she had all of the boys give her a kiss. Aunt Faye and a friend were here too and Rebecca and Scott came and left before we got here, so the house has been busy. 

Darrel & Trina came to say goodbye to Mom. Afterwards they went down to Sheri's with James and I. Kim & Brian had been there earlier, but we missed them. Sheri was making chicken tacos as she normally does on Saturday for Max to take to work. Ian came out to say hello and then Evan came out in a tux with flowers. His girlfriend is still in high school and he is taking her to prom.

Lucky girl

I had a couple of Sheri's chocolate chip cookies before we left and said goodbye to Darrel & Trina. James and I headed for Walmart to pick up a few things to eat tomorrow. Afterwards James wanted to go to Del Taco for a chicken taco.

At Stacy and Paul's, after getting settled in James went for a walk and I sat on the couch to visit with Stacy & Paul and the dogs. Stacy showed me an interview with Nick Shirley, the return missionary who uncovered the government funded scams in Minnesota and California. Now he has to have a bodyguard. Elon Musk gave Nick $100,000 and praised him for what he did.

"Our congregations and families can be gathering places where we cheer each other on."

- Sister J. Anette Dennis

Exodus 17:12

But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

Molly

Quail

Wonderful Day!

Yay Ruby!

Lola

Friday, April 17th, 2026: What does mann represent? Elaine Dalton on "Follow Him" while driving to the temple, Eva's, Sheri's text about a fire truck @ Cathi's, Lois' fall, Ruth's friend Jewel passes away,

 

Hong Kong, China

Temple #48

What was manna supposed to represent to the children of Israel? (Exodus 16:31). "Jesus corrected the Jews, asserting that 'Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven' (John 6:32). He then state His preeminent point: 'The bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world' (v.33). ...The manna of Moses' time was a type of the true bread given of the Father, and that is none other than the Son. ...To their request for this bread, Jesus unambiguously announced, 'I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst' (v.35)" (Valletta, "True Bread of Life," 11).

After our session we had lunch at Eva's. This time I ordered the exact same thing that James usually orders, a chicken enchilada with green sauce and a side of refried beans. The food was good but I couldn't finish all of the refried beans. James had to heOn the way to the temple this morning we listened to "Follow Him."

The guest was Elaine Dalton, whom I love! She talked about how Moses learned of his identity and Moses 1 and that probably helped him have the confidence and faith to be a part of the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea.

lp me. 

I texted Sheri to see how she was doing. She told me she was worried about grandmother because she saw a fire truck at Cathi & Terry's last night. I called Cathi and she said that Lois had face planted into the bathroom floor and as a result she had a two inch gash over her right eyebrow. They decided against stitches so the medics used a glue to close it up and put a couple of bandages on it. 

Cathi was anxious and she made this comment which rather shocked us. "The hospice nurse says she thinks Lois only has about 72 more hours to live." 

Cathi said Lois Facetimed with Gail for about 10 seconds. She said, "I love you. Now I am ready to meet Jesus."

I told all of the kids about their grandmother and told James I would support him in whatever he wanted to do. After some contemplation he said: "I want to leave around noon tomorrow to go see Mom and stay until Sunday afternoon.

I read on Facebook that Jewel Turley had passed away. Jewel is one of Ruth Gale's good friends so I texted Ruth and told her how sorry I was. 

I paid off our Chase business line of credit today. The balance was:

$13, 921.90.

"Repentance opens the door to our new beginnings, fresh starts, and second chances."

- Elder Patrick Kearson

Exodus 16:23

And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.

Deanne Hatch's post

Father & Son talk

Tanner and Mason